Circuitry for carrying out a square root operation

ABSTRACT

The invention provides circuitry for carrying out a square root operation. The circuitry utilizes iteration circuitry for carrying out a plurality of iterations. The iteration circuitry includes a circuit for calculating a root multiple, the root multiple being a multiple of a current quotient value. The root multiple is used by the iteration circuitry to modify a current remainder.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims foreign priority from European PatentApplication No. 01309855.3 filed Nov. 22, 2001, the disclosure of whichis hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to circuitry for carrying out a squareroot operation and a division operation.

2. Description of Related Art

When the division X/D is performed, a quotient Q and remainder R aredetermined which satisfy the following equation:X=Q.D+R where D>R>=0The remainder must be less than the divisor D, otherwise not enoughsubtractions of the divisor have been performed, but greater than orequal to zero otherwise too many subtractions of the divisor have beenperformed. Division can be performed using a succession of iterations.Effectively, in each iteration the divisor is subtracted from theremaining sum.

In restoring division the following steps are performed:

-   -   1. Ensure that X is less than D so that the resulting quotient        is a fraction. This can be achieved by using normalization        techniques;    -   2. Set R₀=X so the entire dividend (that is the value to be        divided and in this case X) becomes the initial remainder;    -   3. Shift R_(i) left 1 place, and subtract the divisor D. If        R_(i) is negative then restore the value prior to subtraction        and set q_(i) to 0. q_(i) is quotient bit i. Otherwise do not        restore the value and set q_(i) to 1; and    -   4. Perform n−1 iterations for an n-bit divisor X.        The resulting quotient is Q=0.q₁q₂q₃ . . . q_(n-1).

The iteration can be defined by the following formula:R _(i)=2R _(i−1) −q _(i) D where i=1, 2, . . . n−1The problem with this method is the restoration of the previous resultmay be required on every step. The non-restoring algorithm is analternative way of performing division and will perform the subtractionanyway and compensate for it on the next iteration if the resultingremainder is negative by adding the divisor instead. The decisionwhether to add the divisor on the next iteration is based on whether theremainder was either less than or greater than or equal to 0. Theselection rule for determining each bit of the quotient is as follows:q _(i)=1 if 2R _(i−1)>=0 andq _(i)=−1 if 2R _(i−1)<0.Each bit of the quotient represents either 1 or −1. In the resultingword −1 is represented by bit 0 and +1 by bit 1. This requiresconversion to a standard binary number. Thus, to convert the quotient0.q_(i)q₂ . . . q_(m−1) into the two's complement representations₀.s₁.s₂ . . . s_(n−1) the following holds:s ₀ .s ₁ .s ₂ . . . s _(m) = q ₁ q ₂ q ₃ . . . q _(m)1.In other words, the top bit is complemented, the word is shifted leftone place and the least significant bit is set to one.

The SRT (Sweeney, Robertson and Tocher) division algorithm is anextension of non-restoring division. In each iteration, an addition, asubtraction or nothing is performed. The decision is taken based on thevalue of the current remainder. The current partial remainder can beapproximated by referring only to a few of the most significant bits anda suitable quotient digit assigned.

The selection rule is as follows:q _(i)=1 if 2R _(i−1)>=Dq _(i)=0 if −D<=2R _(i−1)<Dq _(i)=−1 if −D>2R _(i−1).The range of the divisor can be restricted to make the decision makingprocess simpler by allowing the range:½<=|D|<1.This means that the selection rule can be implemented as follows:q _(i)=1 if 2R _(i−1)>=½q _(i)=0 if −½<=2R _(i−1)<½q _(i)=−1 if −½>2R _(i−1).As the comparison operations are only less than ½ or greater than orequal to ½, the examination of the lower or least significant bits isnever required, only the sign bit down to one bit to the right of thebinary point needs to be examined. In other words, only three bits intotal need to be considered. The selected quotient bits are representedby three values −1, 0 and 1.

Square root determination uses a similar algorithm to division. Inparticular, the following is evaluated:R _(i)=2R _(i−1) −q _(i)(2Q _(i−1) −q _(i)2^(−i)) where i=1, 2, . . .n−1Thus, the value used to modify the result is a function of the previousquotient Q_(i−1) as well as the currently determined bit q_(i). Thesimple selection rule is similar to that used for division and is asfollows:q _(i)=1 if ½<=2R<=2q _(i)=0 if −½<=2R _(i−1)<½q _(i)=−1 if −2<=>2R _(i−1)<½.

Reference is made to FIG. 1 which shows a known arrangement forimplementing a SRT division stage. The arrangement shown in FIG. 1 is todeal with a 53 bit number. Accordingly, a 55 bit carry save adder 10 isprovided. The carry save adder 10 receives the remainder R_(i−1) definedby its sum and carry parts and also a third input from a multiplexer 12.Depending on the output of the multiplexer, the divisor is added,subtracted or nothing is changed by the output of the multiplexer. Themultiplexer 12 is controlled by the signal q_(i−1) representing that bitof the quotient.

The output of the carry save adder is signal R_(i) again defined by itssum and carry parts. The three most significant bits of the sum andcarry parts of the remainder output by the carry save adder 10 are inputto a 3 bit carry propagate adder 14 which sums the three mostsignificant bits. The output of the carry propagate adder 14 is input toa quotient selection logic block 16. The quotient selection logic block16 is arranged to implement the selection rule discussed previously soas to provide the value of q_(i). The quotient selection logic block 16also receives the value q_(i−1) as an input.

The 3 bit carry propagate adder 14 is arranged to take the output fromthe carry save adder 10. Thus, for each iteration, two additions need tobe performed, one by the carry save adder 10 and one by the carrypropagate adder 14.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is providedcircuitry for carrying out a square root operation, said circuitrycomprising iteration circuitry for carrying out a plurality ofiterations, said iteration circuitry comprising means for calculating aroot multiple, said root multiple being a multiple of a current quotientvalue, said root multiple being used by said iteration circuitry tomodify a current remainder.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there isprovided circuitry for carrying out an arithmetic operation with respectto at least one number, said at least one number having a first lengthformat or a second length format, said first length format beingdifferent to said second length format, said operation requiring aplurality of iterations, said circuitry comprising iteration circuitryfor carrying out a predetermined number of iterations, wherein thenumber of iterations is dependent on whether said number has a first ora second length format.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the method and apparatus of the presentinvention may be acquired by reference to the following DetailedDescription when taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is a known circuit for implementing SRT division;

FIG. 2 a shows the format of a single precision floating point number;

FIG. 2 b shows the format of a double precision floating point number;

FIG. 3 shows a system incorporating embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 shows the iteration block in more detail;

FIG. 5 shows one execution unit of FIG. 4 in more detail;

FIG. 6 shows the format of the remainder;

FIG. 7 shows the calculation of the upper remainder bits;

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of the parallel remainder upper executionunit;

FIGS. 9 to 11 show in more detail, the units of the parallel remainderupper execution unit of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 a illustrates the generic generation of the drp and drn signals;

FIG. 12 b illustrates the generation of the drp and drn signals, showingan 0x0x bit slice;

FIG. 12 c illustrates the generation of the drp and drn signals, showingan x0xx bit slice;

FIG. 12 d illustrates the generation of the drp and drn signals, showingthe generation of the x000 bit slice;

FIG. 13 illustrates the operation of the carry save adder, shown in FIG.5;

FIG. 14 shows the structure of the carry save adder;

FIG. 15 a shows the manner in which preferred embodiments of theinvention provide a single generic bit slice from the divider and squareroot formation unit;

FIG. 15 b shows the bit slice from the divider and square root formationunit illustrating the adding of the carry to bit 0;

FIG. 15 c shows the bit slice from the divider and square root formationunit illustrating the adding of the carry to bit 30;

FIG. 16 illustrates the double precision connection;

FIG. 17 a shows a generic bit slice of the on the fly quotient decoder;

FIG. 17 b shows a 000 bit slice of the on the fly quotient decoder;

FIG. 17 c shows a x00 bit slice of the on the fly quotient decoder;

FIG. 17 d shows a 0x0 bit slice of the on the fly quotient decoder;

FIG. 17 e shows a x0x bit slice of the on the fly quotient decoder; and

FIG. 18 illustrates how the partial remainder is formed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A summary of some of the terms used in this document is given below:

Divisor The value to divide by (i.e. b when performing a/b) Dividend Thevalue to be divided (i.e. a when performing a/b) Radicand The value tobe square rooted Quotient The result of the computation, there may be anon-zero associated remainder Remainder If the divisor does not dividethe dividend exactly then there will be a remainder Positive quotientThis term relates to the true value of the quotient Negative quotientThis term relates to a decremented version of the positive quotient Rootmultiple A multiple of the current positive or negative quotient value,which is used to modify the current remainder when square rooting

Embodiments of the present invention are able to provide single anddouble precision floating point divide and square root operations onnormalized significands. Accordingly the significands take the followingformat:+/−1.a ₁ a ₂− . . . a _(k)×2^(n).

By “normalized” it is meant that there is always a single one to theleft of the point. In a single precision floating point number shown inFIG. 2 a the sign s is represented by a single bit, the exponent n isrepresented by 8 bits and the fractional part of the mantissa isrepresented by 23 bits. The mantissa is the number a₁a₂ . . . ak. Withreference to FIG. 2 b, the double precision floating point number willbe described. The sign s is again represented by 1 bit. The exponentpart n is represented by 11 bits and the fractional part of the mantissais represented by 52 bits.

In order to perform the division operation on the following number(1.a×2^(n)) divided by (1.b×2^(m)), the following is performed:1.a/1.b×2^(n−m). The determining of the exponent is a simple operationas n−m is a simple subtraction. The system which will be described inmore detail hereinafter is able to form the division 1.a/1.b. For singlepoint precision where the fractional part of the mantissa is 23 bits,this will produce a 26 bit result. Likewise, for a double precisionfloating point number, 55 bits would be required for the result.

The system which will be described in more detail hereinafter is alsoable to perform the square root function. Embodiments of the presentinvention use the SRT algorithm discussed hereinbefore. However itshould be appreciated that embodiments of the present invention can useother suitable algorithms.

Square root extraction is based upon completing the square and is verysimilar to the division algorithm, the main difference is that insteadof evaluating:R _(i)=2R _(i−1) −q _(i) .D

where i=1, 2, . . . n−1

the following is evaluated:R _(i)=2R _(i−1) −q _(i).(2Q _(i−1) +q _(i)2⁻¹)Therefore the value used to modify the result is a function of theprevious quotient Q_(i−1), as well as the currently determined bitq_(i). The simple selection rule is very similar to that used for theSRT division. In particular the implemented selection rule is the sameas for the division discussed hereinbefore.

Reference is made to FIG. 3 which shows a system embodying the presentinvention. The system 100 comprises a controller 102, register files104, iteration block 106 and floating point vector unit 108. Thecontroller 102 will provide the iteration unit 106 with an opcode whichindicates the operation to be performed. Thus the opcode will indicateif a division or a square root operation is to be performed and if it issingle or double precision. Additionally, an indication is provided toconfirm the opcode is valid. Finally, the controller 102 is also able tosend a signal to the iteration block 106 to cancel the operation. Thisis done via connection 111.

The register files 104 have the divisor D and the dividend X. Theregister files 104 provide the values of the divisor and the dividend tothe iteration block 106 via connection 113.

The iteration block 106 carries out the iteration required in order toperform the division or square root operation. The output of theiteration block 106 is output to the floating point vector unit 108. Theiteration block 106 comprises an iteration unit 118 which carries outthe iteration. A control unit 120 is provided which controls theiteration operation. Finally, the iteration block 106 also comprises aresult block 122. The function of the result block 122 is to format theresult and hold the result until a slot is available on the pipeline forthose results.

On receiving the opcode and valid information, the iterative block 106starts working. Two cycles before the result will be ready, theiterative block 106 sends a request to the controller 102 for a slot inthe floating point vector unit 108 into which to place the resultingquotient and the final remainder in redundant form. The floating pointvector unit 108 then completes the operation by performing addition,normalization, rounding and adding the exponent and sign bit to theresult. In the case that the arithmetic pipe is busy, a slot may not begranted immediately and so the result waits in the result block 122until the slot is granted. This is indicated by a signal from thecontroller 102. Once the results have been transferred, a new iterativeoperation can be performed.

Reference will now be made to FIG. 4 which shows the iteration unit 118on the iteration block 106 in more detail. A first set of flip-flops 130are provided which store the values of the divisor and dividend receivedfrom the file registers. These values are forwarded to an initializationunit 132. The initialization unit 132 will provide the initial startingvalues. It converts the operands so that they appear to have come from aprevious execution unit. The output of the initialization unit 132 isinput to a multiplexer 134. The output of the initialization unit is fedback to the input of the first execution unit via the multiplexer andflip flops 140.

Also provided are first and second execution units 136 and 138.Execution unit 136 performs a first iteration whilst the next iterationis formed by the second execution unit 138. Both of the execution units136 and 138 receive information defining the opcode and the length ofthe data. The opcode defines whether a division or square root operationis to take place. The length of the data effectively defines whether ornot a single precision or double precision number is used. The output ofthe first execution unit 136 is input to the second execution unit 138.The output of the second execution unit 138 is input to the multiplexer134.

At the beginning of the operation, the output of the initiation unit 132will be selected as the output of the multiplexer. However, insubsequent iterations, the output from the second execution unit 138will be selected as the output of the multiplexer 134. The output of themultiplexer 134 is input to a second set of flip-flops 140. The outputof the second set of flip-flops 140 are fed back to the input of theexecution unit 136 so that any subsequent iteration operations whichneed to be performed can be done. When all of the necessary iterationshave been performed, the output of the second set of flip-flops 140 isinput to the result block 122.

A double precision correction unit 142 is also provided. A singleprecision calculation will require an even number of iterations whilstthe double precision calculation requires an odd number of iterations.If the final result of a double precision calculation were to beiterated again, the wrong result would be obtained. The correction unit142 receives part of the output from the first execution unit 136 andprovides an output to the second set of flip flops 140. This isdescribed in more detail hereinafter.

Reference will now be made to FIG. 5 which shows one of the executionunits 136 or 138 in more detail. It will be appreciated that the twoexecution units have the same basic structure. The execution units maybe substantially the same or may be optimized as described in moredetail hereinafter. The execution unit has a quotient selection logicblock 150, a divider square root formation block 152, a carry save adder154, an on the fly quotient decoder 156 and a parallel remainder upperexecution unit 158.

The quotient selection logic 150 determines the quotient bit for thecurrent step which dictates whether to add, subtract or do nothing tothe current remainder. The on the fly quotient decoder then generatesthe full length quotient result. This process in the on the fly quotientdecoder involves the generation of a positional bit, which is one bitset in a 55 bit word. Initially, bit 54 is set and this is shiftedlogically to the right on each iteration to calculate all 55 bits of thedouble precision quotient. It should be appreciated that only the top 26bits are used for single precision quotients. Effectively, the quotientselection logic block 150 looks at the top bits of the remainder andmakes a decision as to whether to add to, subtract from or do nothing tothe remainder on the current iteration.

The quotient selection logic 150 receives the three bit partialremainder output from the carry propagation adder (in the parallelremainder upper execution unit 158) from the previous stage. This isbasically bits 55, 54 and 53. The quotient selection logic unit 150 alsoreceives the result of the OR operation of the s3 and c4 of the previousexecution unit and in particular from the parallel remainder upperexecution unit 158 of the previous execution unit. s3 represents thethird bit of the sum of the remainder whilst c4 represents the fourthbit of the carry of the remainder. These are of the same significance aswill be explained later.

In the embodiment of the invention, the selected quotient bit in anystep can take three values, that is 0, +1 and −1. Accordingly, two bitsare required for a binary representation. Reference is made to thefollowing table, Table 1, which shows the representation used inpreferred embodiments of the present invention.

TABLE 1 Digit q_(abs) q_(sign) 0 1 X 1 0 1 −1 0 0q_(sign) represents the sign of the bit and q_(abs) is 0 if the value isequal to +1 or −1 and 1 if the value is 0.

Reference is made to Table 2 which shows how a quotient bit is selected.The quotient selection logic includes circuitry which is able toimplement this logic.

TABLE 2 Approximated Value of partial remainder Digit selection partialr0 r1 r2 rx qi qabs qsign remainder 0 1 1 x 1 0 1 [ 3/2, 2), [−2, − 3/2)0 1 0 x 1 0 1 [1, 2) 0 0 1 x 1 0 1 [½, 3/2) 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 [¼, 1) 0 0 0 00 1 1 [0, ½) 1 1 1 x 0 1 0 [−½, ½) 1 1 0 x −1 0 0 [−1, 0) 1 0 1 x −1 0 0[− 3/2, −½) 1 0 0 x −1 0 0 [−2, −1)r₀, r₁ and r₂ represent the top three bits of the remainder. r_(x)represents the result of the OR operation of s3 with c4. Using theinformation provided by this table, the quotient selection logic unit150 provides three outputs, q_(plus1), q_(abs) and q_(sign). q_(abs) andq_(sign) are as defined by the table. q_(sign) is simply the inverse ofr₀. A qplus1 output is generated by the quotient selection logic whichbecomes a +1 correction factor required in the carry save adder 154 asthe divisor or root multiple is only complemented when q_(i) is +1.

Reference is made to FIG. 18 which shows how the values of r in theabove table are provided. A three bit carry propagate adder 170 receivesum bits s₀-s₃ and carry bits c₁-c₄. From these values r₀-r₂ aregenerated. An OR gate receives sum bit s4 and carry bit c₃ and thisgenerates bit r_(x) (s_or).

During the first iteration of any operation the selected quotient bitmust be +1 to simplify the parallel remainder upper execution unit. ½ issubtracted from the remainder if the current operation is a square rootoperation. The upper bits after an alignment are 0.10, 1.00, 1.10 or1.11 and so subtracting ½ gives 0.00, 0.10, 1.00 and 1.01 respectively.The necessary left shift after subtraction occurs in the first executionunit when no subtraction occurs.

The first selected quotient bit on any operation is +1 so that asubtraction is performed. Referring to FIG. 7, the bits dr1 and dr2should be constant to simplify the logic of the parallel remainder upperexecution block 158. This is only not the case for the first cycle of asquare root operation and so the parallel remainder execution block 158cannot be used to perform the subtraction. Instead it is performed inthe initialization block 132 so that when the initial remainder ispresented to the first execution unit no subtraction is performed butthe quotient word must be generated and the left shift of the remaindermust be performed. For this reason, the carry save adder block 154, theparallel remainder upper execution block 158 and the divide/square rootformation block see a selected quotient bit of 0 and the on the flyquotient decoder 156 sees 1.

Normally the initial remainder will always yield a selected quotient bitof +1 automatically but as the initial subtraction has already beenperformed the result may be zero yielding a quotient bit of 0. For thisreason, the s_or input to the first quotient selection logic block isforced high for the first operation of a square root and so the qabssignal which drives the on the fly quotient decoder unit and whichrequires no extra logic is used in the quotient selection logic block150. A separate qabs signal is used to drive the carry save adder, thedivider/square root formation block 152 and the parallel remainderexecution block 158. This uses a signal to force the output to be 0 forthe first cycle of a square root only. It should be appreciated that theqplus1 output from the quotient selection logic 150 is forced to zero onthe first cycle of a square root to prevent the carry for 2'scomplementation being added in on the next step.

The q_(abs) and q_(sign) outputs from the quotient selection logic areinput to each of the divider square root formation unit 152, the on thefly quotient decoder 156 and the parallel remainder upper execution unit158.

The quotient selection logic block 150 generates the quotients bits in aredundant form, which are decoded into a normal binary representation.The quotient decoding involves the generation of a positional bit, whichis 1 bit set in a 55 bit word. Initially bit 54 is set, and this isshifted logically to the right on each iteration to calculate all 55bits of the double precision quotient, although only the top 26 bits areused for single precision quotients.

The table below, Table 3, references a variable i which refers to whichbit is set in the quo_pos bus which is the positional bit mentionedabove, and is shifted to the right 1 place on each step of thealgorithm. At each step a positive and negative representation of thecurrent quotient word is kept. These signals are referred to as quo_pand quo_n, and the actual value of each of these at step i of thealgorithm is P_(i) and N_(i) respectively. The value I of i in theequations is the number of the current iteration and counts from 0 to 25for single precision, and 0 to 54 for double precision. The implicitbinary point of the quotient words is in between bits 54 and 53 in thedivide case, and between 55 and 54 in the square root case.

TABLE 3 Quotient quo_p quo_n Bit q_(i) mapping mapping Comment 1 P_(i) =P_(i−1) + 2⁻¹ N_(i) = Pi − 1 Transfer quo_p to quo_n and then set bit inquo_p 0 P_(i) = P_(i−1) N_(i) = N_(i−1) + 2⁻¹ quo_p remains constant,set bit in quo_n −1 P_(i) = N_(i−1) + 2⁻¹ N_(i) = N_(i−1) Transfer quo_nto quo_p and then set bit in quo_p

At each step of the algorithm for divide, a value is added to thecurrent remainder which is either {+D, 0, −D} where D is the divisor,and remains constant for the entire operation. In the square root case,a multiple of the current partial root must be calculated. This can bedetermined from the current positive and negative quotient words P_(i)and N_(i).

The next partial root is calculated by using the following iterativeformula:R _(i)=2R _(i−1) −q _(i)(Q _(i−1) +q _(i)2^(−i))=2(R _(i−1) −q _(i)(Q_(i−1) +q _(i)2^(−(i+1))))This can be rewritten for the different values of q_(i) as shown inTable 4 below, and then be rewritten again in terms of the redundantP_(i) and N_(i) representations of the quo_p and quo_n. The followingrelationship holds:

P_(i)=Q_(i)

N_(i)=Q_(i)−2⁻¹

TABLE 4 q_(i) r_(i) in terms of Q r_(i) in terms of P, N Comment 1 R_(i)= 2(R_(i−1) − R_(i) = 2(R_(i−1) − Inner value becomes (Q_(i−1) +2^(−(i+1)))) (P_(i−1) + 2^(−(i+1)))) p_(i−3)p_(i−2)p_(i−1)010 . . . 0 0R_(i) = 2R_(i−1) R_(i) = 2R_(i−1) Root multiple is zero −1 R_(i) =2(R_(i−1) + R_(i) = 2(R_(i−1) + Inner value becomes (Q_(i−1) −2^(−(i+1)))) (N_(i−1) + 2^(−i) + 2^(−(i+1)))) n_(i−3)n_(i−2)n_(i−1)110 .. . 0Therefore, after initialization, the value of N_(i) is a decrementedversion of P_(i), where the size of the decrement depends upon thecurrent bit position i, and is 2^(−i).

The divider/square root formation unit 152 will now be described. Thisunit 152 determines the word to be added to the current remainder independence on the output from the quotient selection logic block 150. Itis either a function of the current quotient, that is the root multiple,or of the current divisor.

The divider/square root formation unit 152 also receives the P and Nversions of the quotient. This is similar in function to the multiplexer12 of FIG. 1. Additionally, the divider/square root formation unit 152also receives information defining which bit of the quotient tocalculate next. Finally, the divider/square root formation unit alsoreceives the divisor word. This is not provided if a square rootfunction is performed. Not shown, but also provided to this unit isinformation defining whether a square root or dividing operation is tobe performed and also whether or not single precision point or doubleprecision point processing is to be used.

In the divide case, this block is simply a multiplexer choosing either +or − the divisor or 0, depending on the selected quotient bit. Theresult of this is passed to the carry save adder 154 to add to thecurrent remainder word.

In the square root case, the value added to the remainder is determinedas a function of the current quotient representation.

The block calculates the inner values as set out in table 4 by invertingonly if complementing is required. This occurs when the selectedquotient bit is +1 and is corrected for by the qplus1 input to the carrysave adder 154 from the quotient selection logic block. Whencomplementing in the single precision case, bits 28 to 0 are set to zerobefore driving the output of the block. When the correction is added inthe carry save adder, this is done to bit 29.

The quo_p and quo_n buses have root multiple bits set already so in thesquare root case only multiplexing or setting to zero need occur.

The qabs signal arrives later than the qsign signal and so should beused as late as possible.

The on the fly quotient decoder 156 is arranged to calculate the newvalues of the positive and negative quotient words with the rootmultiple bits set in readiness for the divider square root formationunit in the next execution unit. This block also determines whichquotient bit is to be determined next.

The on the fly quotient decoder 156 receives in addition to the inputsq_(abs) and q_(sign), the positive and negative quotients. Additionally,a quotient bit position indicator is also received. In this embodimentof the present invention, the positive and negative quotient values arepropagated as root multiples and these bits are ignored during quotientdecoding by referring to the positional bit and then regenerated duringthe process. The q_(abs) information is used as late as possible.

This block is also arranged to shift the position bit one place to theright.

The on the fly quotient decoder block 156 provides a quotient bitpositional indicator output which is output to the next stage whichindicates which bit is to be calculated next. In particular, this bitwill be input to the on the fly quotient decoder block in the nextexecution unit.

Positive and negative quotient representations are also provided whichare output to the on the fly quotient decoder block of the nextexecution unit. Additionally, a drp and drn output is provided whichgives the divisor or root multiple to be added to the upper bits in thenext execution unit. As will be discussed, this output is input to theparallel remainder upper execution unit 158 of the next execution unit.In particular, this output gives the divisor or root multiple to add tothe upper bits when the next selected quotient bit is plus or minus 1.This is simple in the divide case but in the square root case the rootmultiple for the next step needs to be calculated. This involvesdetermining the current root multiple and then generating thepossibilities for the next step.

The q_(sign) output of the quotient selection logic block 150 arrivesearly as it is simply an inversion of an input and determines whetherthe current quotient bit is plus or minus 1. The q_(abs) signal arrivesmuch later and determines whether the magnitude of the quotient bit iszero or not. If not, then the value selected by the q_(sign) input isselected. Accordingly, two values are initially calculated for the drpand for the drn output based upon the value of q_(sign). One of thesepairs is selected depending on the value of q_(abs).

The calculation of drp and drn will now be described. The algorithm forgenerating the drp and drn signals are similar to the algorithm carriedout by the on the fly quotient decoder decoder except that possibilitiesare generated for addition in the next step. Therefore in the dividecase, bits of the divisor are driven onto the drp and drn buses, thedivisor bits being inverted for the drp bus.

For the square root case a complex function of the current positionalbit (being to the left, right or on the current bit) and the value ofthe quo_p and quo_n busses for the current bit as well as qabs and theqsign are used. Referring to table 4, if the current positional bit isone or two places to the left of the bit in question then the drn wordgenerated will have a root multiple bit set.

The generation is arranged to generate two possibilities for each of thedrp and drn outputs and to use qabs to select between them. Thegeneration of these signals use qsign as late as possible. The tablebelow shows the generation of four signals: pz, pnz, nnz and nz. Foreach bit it is determined if the current positional bit is to the left,on the bit or to the right of the bit. Next this information is used toselect the next positive and negative quotient bit if the currentquotient bit turns out to be zero or non-zero. In the divide case, allthe selected bits are equal to the current divisor bit. q_(abs) is usedto select the current positive and negative quotient bits and then allthe root multiple bits. This is only in the square root case.

The selection of the next positive and negative quotient bits is set outin Table 5 below.

TABLE 5 Op pos_to_(—) quo_ Pos_ Pos_n_(—) code left pos qsign p_rm rmP_nz p_z n_nz n_z Comment DIV X X X x X Div Div div div Select divisorbit regardless SQRT 1 X X a b a a b b If the positional bit is to theleft of the cur- rent bit then perform no quotient decoding and set allbits to zero to remove the root multiple bits on the input. 0 0 0 x x nP n n The positional bit is to the right so multiplex the input bits asrequired. 0 0 1 x x p p p p 0 1 0 x x 1 0 0 1 The current bit is beingcalculated so set the new bits as required. 0 1 1 x x 1 0 0 1

The inputs are as follows: the p and n current positive and negativequotient bits for the current bit position; the relevant divisor bit;pos_to_left—the current positional bit is to the left of the current bitwhen set and is taken from the relevant bit of pos_or input; and pos—thepositional bit for the bit being calculated. Additionally, there are theinputs pos_p_rm and pos_n_rm. Pos_p_rm is set if the positional bit istwo places to the left and pos_n_rm is set if the current positional bitis either one or two places to the left.

This information is used to generate the positive zero p_z and positivenon-zero p_nz positive quotient outputs and negative non-zero n_nz andnegative zero n_z negative quotient bits output.

Pz is selected as the drp output current quotient bit is zero, pnz isselected as the drp output if the current quotient bit is not zero, nzis selected as the drn output if the current quotient bit is zero andnnz is selected as the drn output if the current quotient bit is nonzero.

If the current positional bit is one or two bits to the left of the bitin question, the drn word generated will have a root multiple set and ifthe current positional bit is two bits to the left then the drp wordwill have a root multiple bit set.

The pnz and pz signals are inverted before driving the final drp output.This is because a subtraction is actually performed when the currentquotient bit is 1.

To generate these signals selection is performed using the qsign signaland the final selection will be based on the qabs signal.

The circuitry for providing the drn and drp signals will be described inmore detail hereinafter.

The parallel remainder upper execution block 158 will now be described.This block provides the same operation as the divider square rootformation and carry save adder path, but only on the upper bits. Inparticular, this is formed so that the top three bits can be passedthrough a carry propagate adder contained within the parallel remainderupper execution unit ready for the quotient selection logic block forthe next stage. As a result of the operation, a few of the upperredundant remainder bits are also calculated. This block is on thecritical path of the execution unit.

This block has the following inputs: The remainder from the carrypropagate adder of the parallel remainder execution block of theprevious execution unit, denoted as r1 and r2 (see FIG. 7) of theremainder. Bit r0 is not required due to the final left shift.Additionally, the block receives the bits s3 and s4 of the remainder sumlower bits and bits c3 and c4 of the remainder carry lower bits from thecorresponding block in the previous execution unit. The unit alsoreceives the drp and drn signals. There is also a partial sum input topush some logic into the previous stage. The output of the block is “p”.

In this document, as far as the rem_cpa is concerned, bit 55 is r0, bit54 r1 and so on. As far as rem_sum is concerned, bit 52 is s3, bit 51 s4and so on. As far as rem_carry is concerned, bit 51 is c3, bit 50 c4 andso on. S3-6 and c3-6 are shown in FIG. 10. S3, s4, c3 and c4 are used bythe carry propagate adder. S5, s6, c5 and c6 are used for p generation.

The function of the parallel remainder upper execution unit will now bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 illustrates the formatof the remainder. FIG. 7 illustrates how the upper remainder bits arecalculated. As can be seen from FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, the remaindereffectively comprises a sum and a carry. However, in embodiments of thepresent invention, the top three bits are provided by the remaindercalculated from the carry propagate adder. As will be described inrelation to FIG. 7, the result provided by the carry propagate addertakes into account various of the sum and carry values.

The sum part of the remainder can be represented by a first bit r0indicating the sign of the remainder. The next two bits, ie bits 54 to53 (r1, r2) represent the bits output by the carry propagate adder. Thesign is also provided by the carry propagate adder. A point is providedbetween bits r1 and r2 of the carry propagate adder output (see FIG. 7).This is because generally normalized numbers are being dealt with. Bits52 to 0 represent the normal sum bits. The second line represents thecarry line and comprises bits 51 to 0. Bit 52 of the carry remainder is0. This carry has already been added into the carry propagate adder.

It is worth emphasizing that the remainder provided by the carrypropagate adder result has been precalculated in the previous stage soit is ready for use by the quotient selection logic in the currentexecution unit.

At the end of each stage, the remainder is shifted left one place as isshown in FIG. 6B. The representation shown in FIG. 6 is such that thecarry remainder for bit n and the sum remainder for bit n are the sumand carry out of bit n. Accordingly, carry bit n is more significant.Accordingly, when the remainder is shifted left one place, the carryvalue is actually shifted two places so that all the bits which aresummed together have the same significance.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 6B, the first bit of the sum, representing thesign bit in the previous stage, is discarded. The first three bits, bits55 to 53 are again the precalculated remainder provided by the carrypropagate adder. This is followed by sum bits 52 to 0. Because of theleft shifting, a zero is added to the end. The second line whichrepresents the carry line has been shifted two bits to the left so thatcorresponding values of the carry are aligned with the correspondingvalues of the sum. In particular, sum bit 52 is aligned with carry bit51 and so on. As the carry remainder has effectively been shifted twoplaces to the left, two zeros are added to the end of the results.

The calculation of the upper bits provided by the carry propagator adderis now described in relation to FIG. 7. The remainder comprises valuesr_(o) (the sign), r₁ (1) and r₂ (½). These are the carry propagate adderremainder values calculated in the previous stage. The remainder alsoconsists of sum bit 3 and sum bit 4 and carry bit 3 and carry bit 4. Itshould be appreciated that the first bit of the remainder are zero issuperfluous as the result is shifted one place to the left.

This remainder value is added to the current divisor or root multiplevalue. This consists of bits dr₀, dr₁, dr₂, dr₃ and dr₄. The 3 bit carrypropagate adder is arranged to add together the value of the remainderand the root multiple/divisor. In particular, it takes intoconsideration the first three bits of the remainder and the first threebits of the divisor or root multiple. The carry input is also providedwhich takes into account bits s₄, c₄ and dr₄. The results of this carryare input to the carry propagate adder. The final result provided by thecarry propagate adder takes into account the value of the carry. Theresult consists of 4 bits r′0, r′1, r′2 and r′3. This result is thenshifted left one place. This then provides the next three bits to thecarry propagate adder in the next execution unit. This result is alsoprovided to the quotient selection logic 150 in the next execution unit.

The parallel remainder execution block implements the remaindergeneration described in relation to FIGS. 6 and 7. In summary, the sumis calculated for all three possibilities of the quotient bit and thenthe result from the quotient selection logic is used to select one ofthem. As shown in FIG. 6, the two bits of the divisor/root multiple toadd in each are constant for each quotient bit. Therefore, an individualoptimized circuit is used for +1, 0 and −1.

Reference is made to FIG. 8 which shows the parallel remainder upperexecution unit in more detail. As can be seen, the unit comprises afirst unit 300 which calculates the sum if the quotient bit is positive.The second unit 302 calculates the sum if the quotient bit is 0. Thefinal unit 304 calculates the value if the quotient bit is −1.

Each of these units 300 to 304 receives the following inputs: p, rem_cpa(the remainder bits r1 and r2 calculated by the carry propagate adder),rem_s (bits s3 to s6) and rem_c (bits c3 to c6) . Additionally, thefirst unit receives the input drp (this represents the divisor or rootmultiple to add if qi=+1) and the third unit 304 receives the input drn(this represents the divisor or root multiple to add if qi=−1).

Each unit provides a set of outputs to a multiplexer 306. The output ofthe multiplexer is controlled by signals q_(abs) and q_(sign). If thequotient bit is +1, then the output of the first unit 300 is selected asthe output of the multiplexer 306. Likewise, if the quotient bit is 0,then the bits from the second unit 302 are selected whilst if thequotient bit is −1, then the output of the third unit 304 is selected.

The output of each of the units comprises a carry propagate adderremainder value (bits 55 to 53), a sum remainder value (bits 52 to 50)and a carry remainder value (bits 51 to 50). Additionally, there is anoutput which represents the result of an OR operation on the sum andcarry (s2 or c2) . This logic is thus removed from the quotientselection logic block of the following execution unit. This latterresult is used by the quotient selection logic unit of the next unit asdiscussed above. Finally, there is a value which is p.

Reference is now made to FIG. 9 which shows the structure of the firstunit 300. The unit comprises four full adders 400, 402, 404 and 406. Thefirst and second adders are as will be described in more detailhereinafter split across the stages. The first full adder 400 isarranged to receive the inputs dr3, p3 and s3. The second adder 402receives the inputs dr4, p4 and s4. The third full adder 404 receivesthe input dr5, s5 and c5. The fourth full adder receives the input dr6,s6 and c6. Each of the full adders provides a carry output and a sumoutput. The carry output c1 of the first adder is input to a fifth fulladder 408. The sum output of the first full adder 400 is input to a halfadder 410. The carry output of the half adder 410 provides the carryoutput c2. The full adder 408 also receives the input r2. As dr2 isequal to 0, the logic can be simplified. The carry output of the fulladder 408 is input to one gate of an exclusive OR gate 412. Theexclusive OR gate 412 also receives from an inverter 413 the invertedvalue of r1. As dr1 is equal to 1, the logic can again be simplified.The output of the exclusive OR gate 412 provides the carry propagateadder [2] output. The sum output of the fifth full adder 408 providesthe carry propagate adder [1] output. The sum output of the half adder410 provides the carry propagate adder [0] output. cpa [2] cpa [1] andcpa[0] represents the three carry propagate adder bits.

The sum output of the second full adder 402 provides the value s3′. Thesum output of the second full adder 402 is input to a second exclusiveOR gate 414. This second exclusive OR gate also receives the carryoutput from the third full adder 402. The second exclusive OR gate 414provides the output p3′. The carry output of the third full adder 404also provides the output c4′. The sum output of the third full adder 404provides the output s4′. The sum output of the third full adder 404 isalso input to a third exclusive OR gate 416. The third exclusive OR gate416 also receives the carry output of the full adder 406. The output ofthe third exclusive OR gate 416 provides the output p4′. The carryoutput of the fourth full adder 406 provides the value c5′ whilst thesum output of that full adder provides the value s5′.

An OR gate 416 is provided which receives the sum output of the secondfull adder 402 and the carry output of the third full adder 404. Thisprovides the s_or output discussed previously.

Reference is now made to FIG. 9B which shows how block 430 can beoptimized so as to be implemented in two logic levels only. This blockcomprises an exclusive NOR gate 432 and an inverter 434. Additionally,first and second multiplexers 436 and 438 are provided. The exclusiveNOR gate 432 receives the input r1 and r2. The output of the exclusiveNOR gate 432 provides an input to the first multiplexer 436 and to thesecond multiplexer 438. A second input to the first multiplexer 436 isprovided by the signal r0. c1 provides the control signal for the firstmultiplexer 436.

The signal r0 is input to the inverter 434, the output of which providesthe second input to the second multiplexer 438. The second multiplexer438 is controlled by the signal c1. The output of the first and secondmultiplexers 436 and 438 are each input to a third multiplexer 440 whichis controlled by the signal c2.

FIG. 9C schematically shows the structure of the first and second fulladders 400 and 402. In the arrangement shown in FIG. 9C the exclusive ORgate is shown as being before the full adder. In embodiments of thepresent invention the exclusive OR gate (which is equivalent to gate 414and 416) will be provided in the preceding execution unit. Thearrangement has a first exclusive OR gate 450 which has an input sn andan input rn. The output of that first exclusive OR gate 450 is input toa second exclusive OR gate 452. The output of this first exclusive ORgate 450 is the output pn. This signal is additionally used to control amultiplexer 454. The multiplexer 454 receives the input cn and sn. Theoutput of the first multiplexer 454 is cn′. The second exclusive OR gate452 also receives an input from cn. The output of the second exclusiveOR gate 454 provides the output sn′.

Reference is now made to FIG. 10 which shows the arrangement of thethird block 304. The arrangement of the third block is similar to thatof the first block apart from the structure of the part 430′. Theexclusive OR gate 412 receives an input from the output of the furtherexclusive OR gate 460 which receives an input from r1 and r2. The logiccan again be simplified as dr1 is 0 and dr2 is 1. The third input to thethird adder 408 is the inverted version of r2.

Block 430 can be optimized as shown in FIG. 10B. The arrangement shownin FIG. 10 comprises an exclusive NOR gate 462 which receives a firstinput r1 and a second input r2. An inverter 464 is provided whichinverts r1. An exclusive OR gate 466 is provided which receives an inputfrom r1 and an input from r2. A first multiplexer 468 is provided whichreceives an input from the output of the exclusive NOR gate 462 and theoutput of the inverted 464. The first multiplexer is controlled by thesignal c1.

A second multiplexer 470 is provided which receives an output from theinverter 464 and the output of the exclusive OR gate 466. Again, thismultiplexer is controlled by the signal c1. The outputs of the first andsecond multiplexers are input to a third multiplexer 472 which iscontrolled by the signal c2. The output of the third multiplexer 472provides the signal cpa[2].

Reference is now made to FIG. 11 which shows the structure of the secondunit 302. This unit is much simpler than the first or third unit. Thesecond unit comprises first to third half adders 480 to 484. A fulladder 486 is also provided. The first half adder 480 receives the inputsc3 and s3. The second half adder receives the inputs c4 and s4. Thecarry output of the first half adder 480 provides the first carry outputc1 which is input to the full adder 486. The sum output of the firsthalf adder 480 is input to the third half adder 484. The carry output ofthe second half adder 482 is input to the third half adder. The sumoutput of the second half adder 482 provides the output s3′.

The carry output of the third half adder 484 is input to the full adder486. The sum output of the third half adder 484 provides the outputcpa[0]. The full adder 486 also receives the input r2. The carry outputof the full adder 486 is input to an exclusive OR gate 488 which alsoreceive the input r1. The output of the exclusive OR gate 488 is cpa[2].The sum output of the full adder 486 provides the output cpa[1].

FIG. 11B shows how the part of the block 490 of FIG. 11A can beoptimized to have two logic levels. The part of the circuit 490comprises an inverter 492, an exclusive OR gate 494 and first to thirdmultiplexers 495, 496 and 498. r1 is input to the first inverter 492,the output of which is input to the first multiplexer 495. r1 is alsoinput to the exclusive OR gate 494 along with the input r2. The outputof the exclusive OR gate 494 is input both to the first multiplexer 495and to the second multiplexer 496. The second multiplexer 496 alsoreceives the input r1. The first and second multiplexers 495 and 496 arecontrolled by the signal c1.

The output of the first and second multiplexers 495 and 496 is input tothe third multiplexer 498 which is controlled by the signal c2.

It should be appreciated that for clarity in FIGS. 9B, 10B and 11B theoutput cpa[1] is not shown.

For certain operand values, the operation carried out by the iterationblock shown in FIG. 3 is bypassed. In particular, where the divisor hasthe value +/−1×2^(n), a look up table is used to determine the result.The floating point vector unit 108 is arranged to receive the opcode forthe operation and the value of the dividend and divisor. This may be viaa direct connection from the register files 104 or the controller 102 orfrom the source which provides that information to those elements. Ifthe value of the divisor is +/−1×2^(n), the floating point vector unitis arranged to look at a look up table (referenced 107 in FIG. 3). Thelook up table provides information which indicates that the result ofthe division should be the dividend with the sign and exponent modifiedas necessary. The look up table can be used for values such as divide by+0 or −0, +/− infinity or square root of +/−0 or +/− infinity, +/−1, ornegative numbers. In that case, the look up table would return an errormessage or the like. Signaling or quiet NaNs (not a number) (which aredefined in IEEE standard number 754) may also have entries in the lookup table. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the look up tablewould indicate that an error message should be returned.

The look up table can also have entries for certain values of dividendsuch as +/− infinity, +/−0 or the like.

In summary, the look up table can provide the actual output such as anerror message or the like or how the result is obtained, for examplethat the result is a simply modified version of the dividend. The lookup table may be used to control all operations. For example in the caseof a normal divide operation, the look up table can indicate that thenormal iteration method is to be used and cause the arrangement of FIG.3 to be used.

It should be appreciated that in alternative embodiments of the presentinvention, the iteration units may process the data but the result istaken from the results provided by the look up table. In alternativeembodiments of the invention, the look up table may be provided in thecontroller, upstream of the controller or in any other suitablelocation.

The carry save adder 154, which is shown in FIG. 14, is arranged to addthe output from the divide/square root unit 152 to the current redundantremainder and so performs 3:2 compression. The sum and carry words arealigned on input to this block, the necessary iterative shift beingperformed here.

In more detail, this block receives the fractional part of the divisoror the currently determined root multiple from the divider/square rootformation unit 152, that is div_sel. In the example shown in FIG. 13,this is div_sel [49:0]. The carry save adder adds this to the currentsum/carry representation of the partial remainder which it receives asinputs. In the example shown in FIG. 13, this is rem_s[48:0] andrem_c[47:0]. The previously calculated remainder is shifted one place tothe left, that is both the sum and the carry components, when it isinput to the carry save adder block.

The qplus1 input is received from the quotient selection logic. If thisinput has been set, then the root multiple/divisor input has beeninverted but not incremented. Accordingly, a 1 must be added to correctfor this.

The result of the carry save adder operation is output by the carry saveadder. In the example shown in FIG. 13, this is rem_s_o[49:0] andrem_c_[49;0].

Reference is made to FIG. 14 which shows an implementation of a carrysave adder cell. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the carrysave adder is an array of 3:2 compressors or full adders. The sum andcarry inputs are available early but the div_sel input arrives later.The full adder cell used in embodiments of the invention is arranged toaccept one input later than the other two.

The carry save adder cell comprises a first exclusive OR gate 500 whichreceives a sum input s and a carry input c. The output of the firstexclusive OR gate 500 is connected to the input of a second exclusive ORgate 502 which also receives a div_sel input. The output of this secondexclusive OR gate 502 provides the sum output s′. A multiplexer 504 isprovided which receives the sum input s and the div_sel input. Thismultiplexer is controlled by the output of the first exclusive OR gateand provides the carry output c′.

Reference is made to FIG. 12 which illustrates how the value provided byTable 5 can be calculated. The circuitry of FIG. 12 is included in theon the fly quotient decoder. It should be appreciated that the circuitryhas a bit slice for each bit. Accordingly, the bit slice provided ineach of the execution units can be modified. Reference is made to theTable 6 below:

TABLE 6 Execution Bit pos_to_(—) Cell unit position Pos left 52 pos_p_rmpos_n_rm used EU1 53 0 quo_pos [54] 0 Quo_pos [54] 0x0x 52 quo_pos [52]quo_pos [54] quo_pos [54] quo_pos [54] Xxxx 51 0 quo_pos [54] 0 quo_pos[52] 0x0x quo_pos [52] 50 quo_pos [50] quo_pos [54] quo_pos [52] quo_pos[52] Xxxx quo_pos [52] EU2 53 quo_pos [53] 0 0 0 X000 52 0 quo_pos [53]0 quo_pos [53] 0x0x 51 quo_pos [51] 0 quo_pos [53] quo_pos [53] X0xx 500 quo_pos [53] 0 quo_pos [51] 0x0x quo_pos [51] xxxx cells allow all theinputs to vary and so are as shown in FIG. 12a. The three other cellsare shown in FIG. 12b, c and d.

Reference is made first to FIG. 12A which shows a generic diagram of thecircuitry which can be provided for bits n=53, 52, 51 and 50. Fourmultiplexers 200, 204, 206 and 208 are provided. The first multiplexer200 has first to fourth inputs as follows: n, 0, 1, 0. The secondmultiplexer 204 has first to fourth inputs as follows: n, 0, 0, 0. Thethird multiplexer 206 has first to fourth inputs as follows: p, 0, 0, 0.The fourth multiplexer 208 has first to fourth inputs: p, 0, 1, 0. Eachof the first multiplexers 200 to 208 is controlled by two signals, posand pos-to-left.

The first input is selected when both of these signals have the value 0.The fourth input is selected when both of these inputs have the value 1.The third input is selected when the value of pos is 1 and the value ofpos-to-left is 0. The second input is selected if the value of pos is 0and the value of pos-to-left is 1.

An array of OR gates 210-220 are provided which receive respective onesof the outputs of the multiplexers. The first OR gate 210 receives anoutput from the first multiplexer 200 and the signal pos_n_rm. Theoutput of the first OR gate 210 is 0nrm, that is the 0 bit of thenegative root multiple. The second OR gate 212 receives the output ofthe first multiplexer 200 and the value pos_p_rm. The output of thesecond OR gate 212 is 0prm, that is the 0 bit of the positive rootmultiple. The third OR gate 214 receives the output of the firstmultiplexer and the value pos_n_rm, with the output being 1 nrm. Thefourth OR gate 216 receives the output of the third multiplexer 206 andthe signal pos_n_rm. The output of this fourth OR gate 216 is 2nrm. Thefifth OR gate 218 receives the output of the third multiplexer 206 andthe input pos_p_rm. The sixth OR gate 220 receives the output of thefourth multiplexer 208 and the input pos_p_rm. The output of the fifthOR gate is 2prm and the output of the sixth OR gate is 3prm.

This is followed by a further two multiplexers. The fifth multiplexer224 receives the following first to fourth inputs: div (the divisor bitn), div,0prm and 3prm. The values of 0prm and 3prm are provided by theoutputs of the second OR gate 212 and sixth OR 220. The sixthmultiplexer 222 has the inputs div, div, 1nrm and 2nrm as the first tofourth inputs respectively. The inputs to the fifth and sixthmultiplexers 224 and 222 are selected in accordance with the opcodeindicating whether or not the operation is a square root or divisionoperation and the value of qsign. When both of these signals have thevalue 0, then the first input is selected. When the value of the opcodeis 1 and qsign is zero, then the third input is selected. If the opcodeis zero and qsign is 1, then the second input is selected. The fourthinput is selected if both of the signals have the value 1.

Seventh and eighth multiplexers 226 and 228 are provided. The seventhmultiplexer 226 has a first input 2prm from the fifth OR gate 218 and asecond input div. This multiplexer is controlled by the value of theopcode indicating if the operation is a square root or divisionoperation 2prm is selected as the output if the value of the opcodeis 1. With the eighth multiplexer, it has a first input 0nrm from thefirst OR gate 210 and the input div. The 0nrm input is selected if theopcode, which controls that multiplexer, is 1.

The output of the fifth multiplexer gives the signal p_nz whilst theoutput of the sixth multiplexer gives the signal n_nz. The output of theseventh multiplexer gives the signal p_z and the output of the eighthmultiplexer gives the value n_z. In this regard, reference is made toTable 5.

The arrangement has two further multiplexers 232 and 230. The ninthmultiplexer 232 provides the output drp and has a first input which isnot (pz) and a second input which is not (p_nz). The ninth multiplexer232 is controlled by the q_(abs) signal and when the value thereof is 1,the input not (pz)is selected as its output. Finally, the tenthmultiplexer 230 has the input nz and n_nz. Again this multiplexer iscontrolled by the signal QABS which, when this signal has the value 1causes the signal nz to be output. The output of the ninth multiplexer232 is a signal drp and the output of the tenth multiplexer 230 is asignal drn. It should be appreciated that the inputs to the ninth andtenth multiplexers 232 and 230 are from the fifth to eighthmultiplexers, with the use of inverters (not shown) for the inputs tothe ninth multiplexer 232.

Reference will now be made to FIG. 12B which illustrates the 0x0x bitslice. The first to fourth multiplexers 200-208 have been simplified andare controlled by the signal pos_to_left. This is because the signal poshas a constant value of 0. Accordingly, the inputs to the multiplexershave been simplified to be n and 0 in the case of the first and secondmultiplexers and p and 0 in the case of the third and fourthmultiplexers. n is selected as the output of the first and secondmultiplexers if the signal pos_to_left has the value 0 and 0 is selectedas the output if that signal has the value 1. Likewise, p is selected asthe output of the third and fourth multiplexers if the signalpos_to_left is 0 and if that signal has the value 1, then the output 0is provided by the third and fourth multiplexers.

The number of OR gates can be reduced to three as the second, fifth andsixth OR gates can be left out.

The fifth multiplexer can be simplified with the inputs 0prm and 3prmreplaced by the outputs of the first and fourth multiplexers 200 and 208respectively. This is possible because pos_p_rm is always equal to zero.The seventh multiplexer 226 can also be simplified in that the input2prm is replaced by the output of the third multiplexer 206.

The ninth and tenth multiplexer are unchanged. Thus, the first to fourthmultiplexers are simplified and some of the OR gates can be omitted.

Reference is made to FIG. 12C which shows the x0xx bit slice. Lesssimplification is possible in this arrangement as compared to FIG. 12B.In particular, the OR gates and fourth to tenth multiplexers are asshown in FIG. 12A. However, the first to fourth multiplexers can bemodified to have only two inputs. This is because the signal pos_to_leftwhich is used to control the first to fourth multiplexers in FIG. 12Aalways has the value zero. Accordingly, the first input of the firstmultiplexer is n and the second input is 1. The first input to thesecond multiplexer 204 is n and the second input is zero. The firstinput to, the third multiplexer 206 is p and the second input is zero.The first input to the fourth multiplexer is p and the second inputis 1. First input to the multiplexers is selected at the respectiveoutputs if the value of the signal pos is zero. Otherwise the secondinput to the multiplexers is selected as the respective output.

Reference is made to FIG. 12D which shows the x000 bit slice. The muchsimplified version of the circuitry is possible as the signalpos_to_left equals zero, pos_prm equals zero and pos_nrm equals zero.The first to fourth multiplexers 200-208 are as shown in FIG. 12C. Allof the OR gates can be omitted. The fifth multiplexer 224 is asdescribed in relation to FIG. 12B. The fifth multiplexer 222 has theoutput of the second multiplexer 204 instead of the input 1nrm and theoutput of the third multiplexer instead of the input 2nrm. The seventhmultiplexer 226 is as in FIG. 12B. The eighth multiplexer has the outputof the first multiplexer 200 instead of the input 0nrm. The ninth andtenth multiplexers are unchanged.

As can be seen, the different execution units can be modified so that anoptimum bit slice is provided.

Reference will now be made to FIG. 17 which shows a bit slice of the onthe fly quotient decoder. This is in addition to the circuitry alreadydescribed in relation to FIG. 12. FIG. 17A shows the generic bit slice.As mentioned previously the implementation of the on the fly quotientdecoder 156 propagates the qu0_p and qu0_n values as root multiples andthese bits must be removed before performing the quotient decoding andthen replace the end. The generic bit slice illustrates in FIG. 17Aprovides the positive quotient bit output p_o and the negative quotientbit output n_o. Additionally, the positional bit output pos_o is alsooutput.

The arrangement of FIG. 17A has four OR gates 600, 602, 604 and 606. Thearrangement also has first and second AND gates 608 and 610. Finally,the arrangement also comprises four multiplexers 612, 614, 616 and 618.The first OR gate 602 receives the input pos_np1 (positional bit one tothe left) and the input not (p), where p is the positive quotient bit.The output provided by the first OR gate 602 is p_no_rm which is thevalue of the positive quotient bit with the root multiple bits removed.This is input to the first AND gate 610 (which also receives the inputnot pos) where pos is the position bit. The output of the first AND gateis p_or.

The second OR gate 600 receives the input pos_np1, pos and not (n) wheren is the negative quotient bit. The output of the second OR gate 600 isn_n0_rm. This is input to the second AND gate 608 which also receivesthe input not (pos). The output of the second AND gate 608 is n_or.

The outputs of the first and second AND gates 610 and 608 are input tothe multiplexer 612 as first and second inputs respectively. The outputof the first multiplexer 612 is p_non_zero which is the resulting valueof the quo_p if the quotient selection output is non zero. The secondmultiplexer 614 receives a first input of p_no_rm and a second input ofn_no_rm. The first and second multiplexers 612 and 614 are controlled bythe signal qsign which, when that signal has the value 1, the firstinput is selected as the output. The output of the first multiplexer 612is input to the third multiplexer as the second input. The first inputis provided by the signal p_no_rm. The fourth multiplexer 616 receivesthe output from the second multiplexer 614, as a second input andreceives the signal n_or as the first input. Again, the third and fourthmultiplexers 618 and 616 are controlled by the signal q_(abs). When thatsignal has the value 1, the first input is selected as the output.

The third OR gate 606 has the input pos_np2, that is the positional bitto positions to the left as the first input and the signal not (p_mux)as the second input. The output of the third OR gate 606 provides thesignal p_o, that is the positive quotient output bit. The fourth OR gate604 receives the inputs pos_np2, pos_np1 and not (n_mux). This OR gate604 provides the output n_o. It should be appreciated that the signalpos_np1 provides the signal pos_o, that is an incremented version of theposition bit which is used by the next execution unit.

Reference is made to the following Table 7:

TABLE 7 Bit position Execution even cells odd cells unit 54 53 52.0 51.1EU1 x00 0x0 x0x 0x0 EU2 000 x00 0x0 x0x

As can be seen, the generic bit size described in relation to FIG. 17A,in practice does not need to be implemented in each of the executionunits. Rather, this can be optimised. FIG. 17B shows the bit slice 000.In this situation, pos=zero, pos_np1 and pos_np2 both equal zero.Accordingly, the OR gates and AND gates can be omitted. Additionally,the multiplexers can be simplified so that there are three. The firstmultiplexer has a first signal of not (p) and a second signal of not(n). The first multiplexer 618 provides the output pn_non_zero. Thesecond multiplexer 220 receives a first signal of p and a second signalof not (pn_non_zero) as a second signal. The third multiplexer 622receives the signal n as a first input and has the same second signal asthe second multiplexer. The second multiplexer 620 provides the outputp_o whilst the third multiplexer provides the signal n_o. All threemultiplexers are controlled by the signal q_(abs) which causes the firstinput to the selected when that signal has the value 1.

Reference is made to FIG. 17C which shows the x00 bit slice. In thissituation, the signal pos_np1 and pos_np2 both equal zero. The first tofourth multiplexers are as shown in FIG. 17A. The first OR gate isomitted and the first input to the AND gate is instead not (p). Thesecond OR gate 600 is similar to that shown in FIG. 17A, but the inputpos_np1 has been omitted. The second AND gate 608 is as shown in FIG.17A. The third OR gate 606 omits the first input pos_np2 whilst thefourth gate 604 omits the inputs pos_p1 and 2. FIG. 17D shows the 0x0bit slice.

The value of pos is zero as is the value of pos_np2.

The first multiplexer 612 is omitted. The second multiplexer 614provides the output pn_non_zero. The output of the second multiplexer614 is input to the fourth multiplexer as in FIG. 17A. That multiplexeralso receives the input n_no_rm.

The third multiplexer 618 has been modified so as to receive a firstinput of not (p_no_rm) and a second input of not (pn_non_zero). Theoutput of the third multiplexer 618 is now p_o.

The first and second AND gates have been omitted as has the third ORgate. The second OR gate 600 omits the input pos. The fourth OR gate 604omits the input pos_np2. The signal pos_o is derived from pos_np1.

Finally, reference will be made to FIG. 17E which shows the x0x bitslice. In this situation pos_np1 is zero. The following simplificationsof the generic bit slice of FIG. 17A are possible. The first multiplexer612 is unchanged. The second multiplexer 614 receives the inputs not (p)as the first input instead of p_no_rm. The third multiplexer 618receives the input not (p) instead of the signal p_no_rm. The fourthmultiplexer 616 is unchanged.

The first OR gate is omitted and the arrangement of the second OR gateand first and second AND gates 610 and 608 is as shown in FIG. 17C. Thethird OR gate 606 is the same as in FIG. 17A and the input pos_np1 tothe fourth OR gate 604 has been omitted.

In this way, the circuitry required in the execution units can beminimized.

Reference is made to FIG. 15 which shows one way in which preferredembodiments of the present invention implement the divider and squareroot formation unit 152 and the carry save adder 154 to form one genericbit slice. It should be appreciated that there are two special cases.Bit 0 has only a half adder and adds in the double precision carry andbit 30 which adds in the single precision carry in signal. The functionto calculate the carry in for bit 30 is as follows: carry in for bit30=(the carry in AND floating divide and square root lengthinformation—that is whether it is single or double precision) OR thecarry remainder for bit 29.

In some embodiments the arrangement shown in FIG. 15 can be simplifiedin that the bit slice for cells 49 to 29 can be simplified as the wordselected by the divide and square root formation unit 152 does not needto be set to zero in the single precision case. This is in contrast tobits 28 to 0 which do need to be set to zero in the single precisioncase.

The arrangement shown in FIG. 15 has a first multiplexer 510 whichreceives four inputs: an inverted version of the positive quotient; thenegative quotient, the divisor and its inverse. The multiplexer 510 iscontrolled by the opcode and the qsign signal. When the opcode is 1 andqsign is 1, the inverse positive quotient input is selected, when theopcode is 0 and qsign is 1, the negative quotient input is selected,when the opcode is 1, the divider input is selected if q sign is 0 andits inverse is selected if qsign is 1.

The output of the multiplexer 510 is input to an AND gate 512 which alsoreceives fdsc length information, that is whether it is single or doubleprecision. The AND gate 512 can be omitted for bits 29 to 49 asdiscussed previously. The output of the AND gate 512 is input to asecond multiplexer 514 which has input the value 0. The signal qabscontrols the multiplexer 514. The 0 input is selected when qabs is 1.The output of the multiplexer 514 is the output of the divider andsquare root formation block 152.

A first exclusive OR gate 516 has a first input connected to the sumremainder for bit n and a second input connected to the carry remainderfor bit n−1. The carry remainder input is also connected to the input ofa third multiplexer 520. The third multiplexer 520 also receives aninput from the output of the second multiplexer 514. The thirdmultiplexer is controlled by the output of the first exclusive OR gate516. The output of the first exclusive OR gate is also input to a secondexclusive OR gate 518 which also receives and output from the secondmultiplexer 514. The output of the third multiplexer 520 provides thecarry remainder output and the second exclusive OR gate 518 provides thesum remainder output of the carry save adder 154.

Reference is made to FIG. 15B which shows on the left the generic carrysave adder/divider square formation block on the left along with themodified version of that cell for bit zero where the sum and carryinputs are both zero (as to R₁ is being operated on. This means that thelogic is simplified and qplus 1 which is set when twos complementationis required) does not add to the critical path. As can be seen, theexclusive OR gate 516 is omitted along with AND gate 512. Additionally,the second multiplexer 520 is also omitted. An AND gate 530 is providedwhich receives the input q+1 and the output of multiplexer 514. Theqplus1 signal is input to the exclusive OR gate 518 instead of theoutput of the first exclusive OR 516. It should be appreciated that theinput div[n] of the first multiplexer are both zero.

FIG. 15C shows the bit slice for bit 30. The bit slice 30 is such thatthe requirement to have an extra full adder for bit 29 is avoided. Forreference purposes, the generic bit slice is shown on the left. The bitslice for bit 30 is as the generic bit slice but further includes anadditional OR gate which is connected to the input of the firstexclusive OR gate 516. This OR gate 532 receives the input q+1_(l)lastand single precision and an input rem_c[30]. This OR gate 532 is not onthe critical path, that is the path providing the output rem_c.

The double precision correction unit 142 will now be described in moredetail with reference to FIG. 4. This unit 142 is arranged in parallelwith the second execution unit 138. It should be appreciated that thelast iteration in a double precision operation will be performed by thefirst execution unit 136. If the second execution unit 138 were to forman iteration on the output of the first execution unit 136, the finalresult output would be incorrect. The correction unit 142 receives theoutput of the first execution unit 136. In embodiments of the presentinvention, the correction unit 142 can receive every output of the firstexecution unit or can be arranged so as to receive only the finaliteration performed by the first execution unit. The output of thedouble precision correction unit is input to the multiplexer 140. Theoutput of the multiplexer 134 is also input to this multiplexer 140.

The double precision correction unit provides extra information to theresult block 122 so that it can reconstruct the sum/carry remainderwords so that when added in the floating point vector unit 108, theygive a remainder of the correct sign.

The second execution unit 138 receives the a signal indicating that thelast iteration is to be performed. This signal forces the selectedquotient bit to zero. Thus, the quotient word remains unchanged and onlya remainder shift occurs.

One problem resulting from the remainder shift would be that the signbit of the remainder, rem_cpa[55], causes the incorrect resultcorrection. Difficulties could occur when the remainder is positive, theremainder is negative and a carry ripple occurs so that the remainderchanges sign.

The value of the remainder is not important but only whether it is zeroor not (that is when the divisor is +/−1×2^(n) case). The floating pointvector unit 108 is arranged to detect the case where the remaindershould be zero but is not. If this occurs the floating point vector unit108 cancels the instruction. As far as the correction unit 142 isconcerned, the sign after the carry propagate addition and whether anybits are set are important. The correction unit 142 effectivelypreserves the sign record from the first execution unit as well as thecarry ripple which will cause the remainder to change sign upon additionand this is used when forming the final result.

Consider FIG. 16. The input to the first execution unit 138 isillustrated along with its output. The values are such that a carryripple will occur when the result passes through the second executionunit. In the second execution unit, bit 55 is discarded and bits 54, 53and 52 are summed along with the carry from bit 51. The lower bits passthrough an array of 3:2 compressors. To successfully construct a carryripple, it is necessary to preserve bits 55 to 52 along with whetherthere is a carry into sum bit 52. A simplistic reconstruction isperformed by the correction unit 142 by preserving 52 of the sum and bit51 of the carry as well as bits 55, 54 and 53, that is everything to theleft of the dotted line.

Problems occurs when a carry moves from bit 51 to bit 52 and when thereconstruction occurs this carry is lost, potentially preventing aripple from occurring. This is the case that is shown in FIG. 16.Accordingly, if rem_s[51]=rem_c[50]=1 at the output of the firstexecution unit, then an extra bit is added into rem_s[52], rem_c[51]before reconstruction occurs. Embodiments of the present invention donot require that all of the three carry propagate adder bits be added soonly the top bit is stored and the AND result of all three bits, whichis used to indicate whether a ripple could occur. The reconstructedcarry propagate adder word reads:

{rem_cpa_EU2[55], {2{&rem_cpa-EU2[55:53]}}}

the output format is

rem_cpa_o[59:53]={rem_cpa_Eu2[55], &

-   -   rem_cpa_Eu2[55:53], s2, c2, rem_cpa_Eu2 [55:53]}. s2 and c2 are        rem_s [52] and rem_c [51] with the extra carry in added if        necessary. { } means concatenation of the values, & is the        ANDing of the bits identified.

Although preferred embodiments of the method and apparatus of thepresent invention have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings anddescribed in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understoodthat the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but iscapable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutionswithout departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth anddefined by the following claims.

1. Circuitry for carrying out a square root operation, said circuitrycomprising: iteration circuitry for carrying out a plurality ofiterations, wherein said iteration circuitry comprises a plurality ofsets of iteration circuitry, at least one set of iteration circuitrybeing arranged to receive an output from a preceding one of said sets ofiteration circuitry and provide input to a subsequent set of iterationcircuitry, each of said sets of iteration circuitry comprising: rootmultiple circuitry for calculating from a positive quotient value and anegative quotient value received from a preceding iteration an outputpositive quotient value and negative quotient value for output to asubsequent iteration, wherein the output quotient values includecalculated first root multiple bits, the root multiple circuitry furthercalculating second root multiple bits for separate output to thesubsequent iteration; and remainder circuitry for calculating from anupper remainder and the second root multiple bits received from thepreceding iteration an output upper remainder for the subsequentiteration, the remainder circuitry using the second root multiple bitsto modify the received upper remainder and generate the output upperremainder.
 2. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein each of said sets ofiteration circuitry further comprises: a square root formation circuitfor calculating an output from the positive quotient value and negativequotient value received from the preceding iteration; and an adder foradding the output of the square root formation circuit to a lowerremainder received from the preceding iteration to generate an outputlower remainder for the subsequent iteration.
 3. The circuitry of claim2 wherein the adder is a carry save adder.
 4. The circuitry of claim 1,wherein the second root multiple bits comprise the most significant bitsof a calculated root multiple which includes the first root multiplebits.
 5. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sets ofiteration circuitry consist of two sets, a first set of iterationcircuitry having input and output, a second set of iteration circuitryhaving input and output, the output of the first set of iterationcircuitry being coupled to the input of the second set of iterationcircuitry, the circuitry further comprising: a multiplexer having afirst and second input and an output, wherein the output of the secondset of iteration circuitry is coupled to the first input of themultiplexer, and where the second input of the multiplexer is coupled toreceive initial starting values; and wherein the output of themultiplexer is fed back to the input of the first set of iterationcircuitry.
 6. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sets ofiteration circuitry consist of two sets, a first set of iterationcircuitry having input and output, a second set of iteration circuitryhaving input and output, the output of the first set of iterationcircuitry being coupled to the input of the second set of iterationcircuitry, the circuitry further comprising: a double precisioncorrection circuit having an input and an output, the output of thefirst set of iteration circuitry being coupled to the input of thedouble precision correction circuit, wherein the double precisioncorrection circuit functions to bypass the output of the first set ofiteration circuitry around the second set of iteration circuitry.
 7. Thecircuitry of claim 6 further comprising: a multiplexer having a firstand second input and an output, wherein the output of the second set ofiteration circuitry is coupled to the first input of the multiplexer,and where the second input of the multiplexer is coupled to receiveinitial starting values; wherein the output of the double precisioncorrection circuit is coupled to the output of the multiplexer; andwherein the output of the multiplexer is fed back to the input of thefirst set of iteration circuitry.